Sarfraz Khan Biography: From Ranji to Test Debut, Know The Inspiring Story of The Former RCB Player, Stats, Personal Life, and More
Sarfaraz Khan Biography: 26-year-old Sarfaraz Khan finally made his debut in the 3rd Match of the India Vs England Test Series on the grounds of Rajkot, after years of struggle and continuous hard work. Not only he made his most-awaited debut, but the cricketer also scored a half-century in the match, along with Ravindra Jadeja. Sarfaraz started his cricket journey at a young age of 12. In 2014 and 2016, he represented India in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and is the highest run scorer in domestic cricket.
Let us know more about his personal life, early career, education, records, and more.
Sarfaraz Khan Early Life & Education
Sarfaraz was born on October 27, 1997 in Mumbai. Sarfaraz’s father, Naushad Khan, was also a cricketer who competed in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. Sarfaraz’s two brothers, Musheer and Moeen Khan, are also budding cricketers. Hailing from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Sarfaraz spent the majority of his childhood at Azad Maidan, where his father, who was his coach, nurtured young cricketers like Iqbal Abdulla and Kamran Khan. His brother Musheer is the captain of the Mumbai Under-16 team. Sarfaraz Khan completed his primary education in Mumbai. He was unable to attend school for four years due to his cricketing commitments, so he received private tutoring in mathematics and English. He finished his education at Rizvi Springfield School.
Sarfaraz Khan Domestic Career
Sarfaraz rose to prominence after breaking Sachin Tendulkar's 45-year-old Harris Shield record in his debut game in 2009 at the age of 12, scoring 439 off 421 balls, including 56 fours and 12 sixes. Sarfaraz made a match-winning debut against Saurashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2014, scoring 17 runs off 15 balls in a close victory. A few months later, he made his first-class debut against Bengal in the 2014 Ranji Trophy. Sarfraz then joined the Uttar Pradesh cricket team for the Ranji Trophy. However, the middle-order batsman appeared in only eight Ranji games for UP over three seasons. By September 2019, he had only played 11 first-class matches and scored 535 runs, the highest being 155. He had also played 12 List A matches, scoring 257 runs at a strike rate of 96.25.
Sarfaraz Khan Under-19 Career
After a cooling-off period, Sarfaraz resumed playing for the Mumbai Under-19 team, eventually leading the team to the Indian Under-19 selection. Sarfaraz represented India in two Under-19 World Cups (2014, 2016). The 2014 Under-19 World Cup was played in a round-robin format with 16 teams, and India finished fifth. Sarfaraz scored 211 runs in six games, averaging 70.33 with a strike rate of 105.5. Following this performance, IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore acquired him for $5 million for the 2015 season. Sarfaraz finished the tournament with the second-highest run total. He scored 355 runs in six innings, including five scores of more than 50, for an average of 71. At the Under-19 level, he holds the record for the most fifties in World Cups (7 in two World Cups).
Sarfaraz Khan IPL Career
Sarfaraz played four seasons for Virat Kohli’s RCB and rose to prominence with an unbeaten knock of 45 off 21 Rajasthan Royals. RCB captain Virat Kohli bowed in front of the 17-year-old, creating an unforgettable moment. After being released by RCB, the Mumbai-born batsman was signed by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) before the 2019 IPL season and was retained for the 2020 season. In 2019, he played eight games and scored 180 runs. In IPL 2020, he appeared in five matches and scored 33 runs at an average of 16.50.
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In the 2022 IPL mega auction, Delhi Capitals paid Rs 20 lakh for Sarfaraz. He played six matches for Delhi in 2022, scoring 91 runs at an average of 30.33. Sarfaraz played as a wicketkeeper-batsman for the Delhi Capitals in the 2023 IPL, replacing Rishabh Pant, and scored 53 runs in four matches at an average of 13.25.
Sarfaraz Khan International Debut
Sarfaraz Khan made his debut for India in 2024 after Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul were injured in the first Test against England. Sarfaraz made his international debut against England in the third Test on February 15, 2024, at Rajkot. In his first innings, he scored 62 runs off 66 balls before being run out at the non-striker's end. His innings also featured nine fours and one six. With his half-century, he now shares the record for the fastest half-century by an Indian cricketer on debut, with Hardik Pandya's against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Sarfaraz Khan Personal Life, and Marriage
Sarfaraz married Kashmiri girl Romana Jahur in August 2023 in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Romana earned an MSc from the same Delhi college where Sarfaraz's sister studied. Sarfaraz met Romana through his sister, and they dated for some time before marrying. During the sensational moment when Anil Kumble presented Sarfaraz with the Indian Cricket Team cap, her family, including her wife, became emotional and supported him in his debut Test match.
